Soup or Salad?
by Let-The-Time-Fly
Summary: Sometimes, fate has a strange way of bringing two people together. Modern AU. Rated T for suggestive sexual themes.


**So, if you guys read A New Kind of Different, I just wanted to let you guys know that I'll be updating every two weeks from now on. I really feel like the story has been rushed up to this point, as some of you do, and I want to take that extra week to kind of regroup with myself and get a timeline going on because right now, I mostly just wing it and just write whatever pops into my head. That being said, I decided to give you guys something in its place so I wrote this one-shot about Hiccup and Astrid that might continue at those moments just when I have motivation for this in particular. I actually got the idea from one of my dreams. Enjoy!**

0000

 _Where was she?_ Hiccup thought, _She was supposed to be here half an hour ago._

It was a friend's idea, really. Hiccup had been so busy with his new job as a hospital surgeon that he really hadn't been able to get out much. Sure he had free time here and there to hang out with some friends, but he never got the chance to meet new people. Fishlegs felt bad for the guy. They had been friends since middle school, and now that they both had high-paying jobs and were steady on their feet, Fishlegs felt that Hiccup should start going out.

But he was so busy all the time and Fishlegs understood. While Hiccup became a surgeon, Fishlegs decided to become a professor of medicine instead. As a matter of fact, Fish was just as busy as Hiccup most of the time. But he was lucky since he met his girlfriend, Rachel, in high school and they were still going strong. They had moved in together after Fishlegs got a job at Rochester University. Hiccup was really happy for them when he told him about their decision of moving in together. But Fishlegs could see that it was just a sad reminder to him that he didn't have someone.

So when Fishlegs saw a commercial about eHarmony on TV, he decided right there and then that Hiccup was joining this website. It would be perfect for him! He wouldn't have to go out! He could just wait for a date online. Simple right? Well, Hiccup did not exactly share Fishlegs's enthusiasm.

"There is no way I'm joining that website Fish! Those online dating sites are for people who can't get a date on their own," Hiccup said as he took a drink from his beer. Hiccup had gotten a week off of work as an award for accomplishing some miracle surgery that paid more than his apartment cost. It was one of those few times when the two best friends could get together for lunch.

"Exactly! That's perfect for you!" Fish exclaimed.

Hiccup groaned. "Ugh, you're twisting my words, Fish. I don't _need_ a girlfriend. I'm perfectly fine on my own! I don't have to worry about where I leave things, I don't have to tidy up my apartment, and I don't have to deal with those angry outbursts."

Fishlegs rolled his eyes. He knew exactly whom his friend was talking about. "Come on, Hiccup. Ruff isn't _always_ like that. You just came over at the worst possible moment. And besides, it was _that_ time of the month for her! Did she seriously scare you off? You haven't been over in like what, weeks?" he asked as he took a bite from his sandwich.

"I just haven't had time, Fish. You know that."

Fishlegs all but jumped out of his seat. "See! That's exactly what I mean! You don't have time! This website will get dates for you."

Hiccup started to stir his straw around in his drink with a frown on his face. "Fish, I haven't been good at dating since… you know. So for the last time, my answer is no."

Fishlegs sighed. He felt bad for his friend. His first girlfriend had broken his heart. Her name was Camicazi and she was a beautiful girl that Hiccup had really liked their sophomore year. He had asked her on a date and she had said yes. Hiccup was so ecstatic after their first date. He wouldn't stop talking about her. It really started to annoy both Fish and Ruff. Almost every sentence out of his mouth would, in some shape or form, refer to her.

But Fishlegs became very worried. Hiccup wasn't exactly a popular fellow and Camicazi was in the sights of every guy in the entire school. So when Hiccup came over to his house with an angry look on his face and hints of tears in his eyes, Fishlegs couldn't say he was surprised. He remembers Hiccup telling him how he had caught her making out with another guy. Eret, maybe? He didn't remember.

The only thing he remembers for sure is that Hiccup said he would never let his heart get broken again, which translated over into never dating again. And he's kept that promise for 18 years, as far as Fish could tell. He never saw his friend with any girls, at least not for more than one night. He knew what his friend's response would be. So that's why he did what he did.

"I knew you would say that, Hiccup. Which is why I've already started an account in your name."

"You WHAT?!" Hiccup exclaimed, nearly falling from his chair.

"You heard me. Oh and by the way, you have a date at six tonight at Olive Garden," Fishlegs replied as he looked down at his watch. It was four in the afternoon, far too late for lunch, but he knew that if he gave his friend time to think, then he would come up with some lame excuse.

"Don't leave the poor girl there alone, Hiccup. I suggest that you get ready."

Hiccup had a scowl on his face as he stood up before extending a finger at Fishlegs. "I bet you twenty dollars that I won't come out of this satisfied."

Fishlegs smirked. "Deal."

0000

Hiccup quickly drove back to his apartment. _Who does he think he is? Setting me up like that?_

He fumbled with his keys as he unlocked the door before stepping into the ginormous penthouse that cost more than he was willing to admit. He threw the keys onto the counter before going into his room. He started rummaging through his closet, debating what to wear. He finally settled on some casual attire. A dark green button up shirt, a red tie that had several doctor symbols on them, and khaki pants. Not the formal types of khakis that people wear to interviews, but more like the khakis that are more like tan jeans than anything.

As he buttoned up his shirt, he quickly realized that he didn't even know who he was meeting with. He quickly grabbed his phone to call Fishlegs about the date, but it seems that his friend was always a step ahead of him. He read his friend's text before walking over to his computer.

 _Figured that you might want to know a little bit about your date. Don't worry, I picked someone pretty. Your username is Horrendous_Hiccup and your password is nightfury2014. Good luck. I'll be expecting those twenty dollars tomorrow._

Hiccup logged onto his account. He chuckled a bit. Never in his life would he have expected to be logging on to eHarmony. But fate has a strange way of drawing people together. Hiccup looked at the girl's profile. He was really surprised with what he found. She was 33, just a year younger than him, and she was fascinating. She was a real estate agent who enjoyed biking, fixing up cars, and was looking for a guy that wouldn't act as her protector but would rather treat her as an equal. The fact that she was pretty was just a bonus. He was genuinely impressed.

 _Let's see, what's her name. Ah! Here it is. Heather. That's a pretty name._

It was 5:30 by the time Hiccup got to the restaurant. He had eaten at Olive Garden a few times before, but he was usually with Fishlegs and Ruffnut. It had been a while since they had all had dinner together. _Maybe I won't be along next time,_ he thought.

Apparently, Fishlegs already made the reservations, always one step ahead as usual. Supposedly, they were under the name: Hiccup. He walked over to the desk where a waitress was sitting at. He immediately noticed her blonde hair. It was set in a braid that fell over her shoulder. She looked up at him and he saw her blue eyes that were the color of the ocean. He felt his heart pound against his chest when she smiled at him.

"Can I help you?" she asked. For a second, Hiccup almost forgot why he was there. _What am I doing here again? Oh right._ By the time Hiccup had come back to Earth, the waitress was looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Sir? May I help you?"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry about that. Just uh… yeah. Uhmm, I think I have a reservation here? Under the name Hiccup?"

She giggled a little bit as she looked into the computer. Hiccup liked her laugh. She was cute. He smiled to himself. He would have never expected her to be thinking the same thing about him.

"Yeah, it's in here. Table for two?" she asked. Her eyes met his again and he almost got lost in them again.

"Yeah. My date should be here soon."

Hiccup saw her smile fade away from her lips and her eyes. She almost looked… disappointed? _Must be something else_ , he thought.

"Follow me," she said as she grabbed two menus. "So, Hiccup, huh? I'm guessing that's not your real name," she said as she looked over her shoulder to smirk at him.

Hiccup felt his heart pound once again. He rubbed the back of his neck and chuckled before saying, "Oh, yeah. It's not my _real_ name. More of a nickname."

They stopped at a booth at the side of a restaurant that was close to the kitchen and register. She placed the menus down on the table before motioning for him to sit down.

"Well, Hiccup, I'm Astrid and I'll be serving you and your date tonight."

Hiccup smiled. He liked that name.

"What time is she coming?" she asked.

"Around six," he responded. Hiccup had almost forgotten about his date.

"Alright. Well can I start you off with something to drink?" she asked with a smile. Hiccup liked her smile a little too much.

"Yeah, could I get a coke?"

"Of course. I'll be right back," she said before walking away. She came back surprisingly fast with not only his drink, but some breadsticks as well. She set the coke down in front of him and the breadsticks in the middle of the table. She pushed a free lock of hair behind her ear before saying, "I know you didn't ask for any, but I thought that I could start you off with _something_ to eat before your date gets here."

He grinned at her. "Thanks, I really appreciate it. And that was really fast too! You're a great waitress, uhh," he took a moment to read her nametag, even though he remembered her name all too well, "Astrid."

She smiled at him, which he eagerly returned with another one of his crooked grins. "Thanks," she said. "Oh and I almost forgot." She placed a straw in front of him, which he eagerly reached for. Her fingers brushed his as she pulled away. Astrid felt her entire hand tingle as she pulled away from the contact.

"S-Sorry," she said. She was blushing for some odd reason.

"No, don't worry about it," he replied. He gave her another smile. Astrid hated how this guy's smile made her heart flutter. She didn't even know his real name and she was already starting to like him. But her heart sank when she remembered that his date was coming.

She walked back over to the checkout counter to complete some other payments before one of her co-workers, Jenny, nudged her with her shoulder.

"Oh, hey Jenny." Jenny was a good friend. They got along well and they didn't get in each other's way. She looked over to her friend and saw that she had a smug grin on her face.

"What's with the grin?" Astrid asked with a chuckle.

"I see you have a cute customer over at 12," she said as she nodded in Hiccup's direction. Astrid blushed. "And he's all aloooonneeee," Jenny said.

One of her other co-workers, Snotlout, walked over to them. He really annoyed Astrid. He was always trying to flirt with her and she thought it was absolutely obnoxious. He was so arrogant all the time.

"Why hello, ladies. And what are you talking about, Jenny? I'm not at table 12," he said. Astrid and Jenny both rolled their eyes.

"I'm not talking about you, stupid. Astrid's got a hot customer over at table 12. And he's all alone too." Astrid knew exactly what her friend was insinuating. As much as she would like to, he already has a date.

"What? Astrid! Why would you want that guy when you could have all this?" Snotlout said as he gestured to himself.

Astrid had a disgusted look on her face. "I don't want any of… that," she said as she gestured back to Snotlout.

"But you just gestured to all of me!" he exclaimed.

"Exactly!" Snotlout huffed and stormed out of the room. Both Astrid and Jenny were laughing their heads off. Little did Astrid know that Hiccup was watching her from afar, smiling at her laugh.

0000

It was 6:15 and Hiccup's date still hadn't come yet. Astrid was watching him from the kitchen. She didn't have an excuse to go over there because he still had some breadsticks and some coke in his glass. He looked disappointed and saddened. Astrid really wanted to go over there and reassure him, but she was only a waitress. She shouldn't even be feeling this bad for him. He is just a customer after all. He's just a customer that happens to be really cute and nice.

If she were the one going out on a date with him, then _she_ would be the one arriving early, not him. She jumped at the first opportunity to see him again when she saw his empty glass. She grabbed another glass of coke and quickly walked over to him. She set it in front of him and gave him a sympathetic smile. She really felt bad for him, but a part of her hoped that his date never did show up. He smiled back at her and thanked her. But the smile didn't quite reach his eyes and it tore at her heart even though she didn't even know the guy.

0000

By the time it was 6:30, Hiccup had already loosened his tie and unbuttoned the top button of his shirt. Astrid bit her lip. She wondered what he looked like shirtless. Then she noticed his tie. It had all these symbols on it that she had seen before. She thought back and then realized that they were from the local hospital. Her eyebrows flew to her forehead. _He must be a doctor_ , she thought. She let out a shaky breath. _I give up. He's basically perfect,_ she thought. She called Jenny over to where she was watching him.

"Spying on table 12, I see," she said. Astrid sighed in defeat.

"Maybe. I just feel bad for him. His date hasn't showed up yet." Jenny noticed how her friend's brows were scrunched in a frown. She's never cared so much for a guy she didn't even know.

"Oh," was all she could say in return.

After a few moments, Astrid said, "He's a doctor."

"Really?" Jenny asked. "How do you know?"

"It's on his tie," she said.

"Oh wow, Mr. Hottie is now Dr. Hottie," Jenny said with a devious grin. "You should go talk to him."

Astrid scoffed. "I already have."

Jenny rolled her eyes at her friend. "Obviously. But I mean like maybe keep him company until his date gets here."

Astrid looked nervous from her friend's eyes. "Come on, Astrid. He's not going to bite. Who knows, maybe he'll like you. Then maybe one thing will lead to another and you might finally be able to move out of that shitty apartment of yours with a few hickies on your neck."

Astrid thought for a moment. She wanted to be the one that was on a date with him, but she got so nervous around him. She _never_ got nervous around anyone.

She sighed. "Maybe later," she said as she stared at him. Hiccup noticed her gaze and their eyes locked. Her heart fluttered again and she felt her knees tremble. Then he gave her a real smile that reached his eyes and waved at her. She smiled and waved back at him as she self-consciously brushed one of her bangs from her face.

Jenny chuckled and said, "Yeah, he won't bite. But maybe he will later," she said as her eyebrows jumped up and down.

Astrid blushed a deep crimson at what her friend suggested.

0000

7:00 came around and it was time for Astrid to go. Hiccup's date still hadn't shown up. In all honesty, Astrid didn't want to go. She usually hated working here, but now, she couldn't think of anything worse than leaving and never getting to see him again. She grabbed her coat from the closet and walked back to the register to check out for the night. She looked over her shoulder to the man at table 12. His hair had gotten messy. Astrid liked it that way. It suited him better. His sleeves were rolled up and he was leaning back into his seat in defeat.

Astrid's heart sunk at the sight of him. Jenny scoffed from the side. Jenny still had a few hours to go before her shift ended. "Now's your chance, Astrid. You're not his waitress anymore. You're just a woman in a restaurant. It's now or never," she said before walking away. Astrid glanced one more time at Hiccup. He caught her gaze again and before she could drop it, he smiled at her and gave her another wave.

It was at that moment when she was looking at him and waving back that she made up her mind. She shyly walked over with her coat draped over her arms that were folded in front of her. Hiccup noticed her coat and must have realized that she was living. She saw his smile fade away and she thought, well more like hoped, that he was sad about her leaving. But then she realized he must just be disappointed his date never came.

"Heading out for the night?" he asked.

"Yeah," she replied shyly, "I'm sorry your date never came."

He waved his hand in front of him, as if to dismiss it, and said, "It's alright, I guess. Thanks for keeping me company." Then he gave her a crooked grin and took out his wallet. He took out a hundred dollar bill and held it out in front of her. She was confused at first but then noticed that he looked down at it and then back up to her.

"Take it," he said.

Her eyes widened. She had never received such a big tip before. When she thought about it, she needed the money. But she didn't have the heart to take it. She thought of something better he could offer. She took the hand the held out the money to her and pushed it back to him. The skin that had touched his felt electrified. He frowned.

"How about instead of giving me that, you let me sit here with you and keep you company until your date comes."

Hiccup felt touched that she would do that. After all, they barely knew each other. He wished that he _could_ get to know her.

"Astrid, you don't have to do that. Your shift just ended anyways."

She then sat down across from him where his date should have been. "I know I'm not your waitress anymore. But I _want_ to be here," she said.

Hiccup smiled at her. She was ecstatic to see that it reached his eyes; his beautiful forest green eyes that seemed to make her heart jump whenever they landed on her. She gave him the most heart-filled smile she could possible imagine. Astrid never had much luck dating before, but maybe all that luck was saved up for this moment.

"Well, if you insist," he said with a hint of sarcasm.

She stuck her hand out over the table before saying, "Well, as you know by now, my name is Astrid. What's your name, your _real_ name?"

Hiccup grabbed her hand and shook it before saying, "Henry, Henry Haddock."

They both felt the tingling in their hands when they pulled away.

"Nice to meet you, Henry," she said. As they started talking about themselves, what they liked to do, and sharing a few laughs, Hiccup couldn't help but hope that his date never _did_ show up. _Maybe tonight won't be as bad as I thought_.

0000

It was 9:00 by the time Heather _finally_ decided to show up. She was late from another date that she had been to and she hoped that she could get through this one quickly and get the guy in bed with her. He did look hot from his profile picture. She walked up to the desk where one of the waitresses was. Her nametag read: Jenny.

"May I help you?" she asked. 

"Yeah, I have a dinner reservation under the name, Hiccup. He should already be here."

Heather thought that she saw the waitress smirk a bit. Little did she know that Jenny was smirking at the memory of her friend walking out hand and hand with Dr. Hottie.

"I'm sorry, ma'am. But that reservation for table 12 was already used by Hiccup and his date," she said with a smug expression.

"What?"

"They left about 15 minutes ago, together," she said. Jenny thought that it would be best not to include the part where the pair shared a kiss before getting into his car. Heather looked over to where her table was and saw that two people had clearly eaten food and that a dessert had been _shared_ between two people. Heather left, outraged, that she couldn't get one more guy to come home with her that night.

The following morning, Fishlegs was twenty dollars richer and Hiccup's eHarmony profile was deleted.

A few months later, when they finally had time to grab dinner together as they used to, Hiccup was not alone.

0000

 **So if you didn't catch it at the end, Hiccup and Astrid stayed together. I just wanted to say that in case anyone had any doubts whatsoever. And Jenny is kind of like Ruffnut 2.0. Since I like Rufflegs, I couldn't have her be in two places at once so I just made a Ruffnut 2.0. I hope you enjoyed it!**


End file.
